Aeva Launches 4D Lidar with Camera-Level Resolution

February 1, 2022

Aeva, which designs next-generation sensing and perception systems, has unveiled its Aeries II, a 4D lidar sensor built with automotive-grade reliability to enable autonomy across applications in automotive, industrial and other markets. 

Leveraging the company’s unique Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology and a lidar-on-chip module design, the sensor can detect the fourth dimension of instantaneous velocity for each point in addition to its 3D position, the company said. Advanced 4D Perception software provides other new features, such as 4D Localization and Ultra Resolution, a camera-level image with up to 20 times the resolution of legacy lidar sensors.

Key features of the Aeries II include:

• Camera-level ultra resolution: Leverages raw 4D data to deliver a real-time camera-level image with up to 1,000 lines per frame with no motion blur for the static scene. Image segmentation can detect roadway markings, drivable regions, vegetation, road barriers, as well as road hazards like tire fragments at up to twice the distance of legacy time-of-flight lidar sensors.
• Instant velocity with ultra long range: The 4D lidar measures instantaneous velocity for each pixel in addition to 3D position, allowing automated vehicles and machines to perceive where things are and precisely how fast they are moving, at distances up to 500 meters;
• 4D localization: Per point velocity data enables real-time ego vehicle motion estimation with six degrees of freedom, motion compensation, and online sensor extrinsic calibration, which can aid with sensor fusion. Vehicle estimation features also enable accurate vehicle positioning and navigation without the need for additional sensors, such as IMU or GPS, which makes autonomous navigation in GPS-denied and featuresless environments like tunnels possible.
• Lidar-on-chip technology: The design eliminates all fiber optics and incorporates all key lidar elements onto silicon photonics in a single compact module;
• Automotive-grade reliability: Includes ratings for ingress (IP67), impact (IK07), thermal, and shock and vibration to ensure peak performance across several road and environmental conditions;
• Compact design: Allowing for a wide range of integration options, with real-time configurable maximum ranges, fields of view and scan patterns to enable autonomous applications.

“Aeries II is a leap forward for the industry, and we believe it will play a critical role in unlocking the next wave of automation across a variety of applications from automotive to industrial and beyond,” said Mina Rezk, co-founder and CTO of Aeva. “Aeva’s unique FMCW technology has inherent advantages like instant velocity detection for each point that allow us to deliver several crucial breakthroughs for our customers, such as Ultra Resolution and 4D Localization, which have not been possible until today. Aeries II provides our customers with a new level of perception to help automated vehicles and machines make safer, more intelligent decisions with higher confidence.”

Shawn Kerrigan, COO and co-founder of Plus, which develops autonomous trucks, said they are excited to work with Aeva to help commercialize and deploy their autonomous driving technology. “Adding Aeva’s 4D lidar to our state-of-the-art long-range perception provides valuable instant velocity detection for an extra layer of redundancy,” said Kerrigan.

Aeva said the Aeries II system will be available in mid-2022. More details on the system are available at this Aeva website.

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